There are multitudes of mechanical and electrical construction, maintenance and repair situation which require illumination and viewing from a distant arms-length distant point or from a position that does not provide direct straight-line lighting or vision. This is particularly true for the fields of: automotive, marine and aircraft engine repair and maintenance; automotive chassis maintenance and repair; electrical and plumbing installation, repairs and maintenance; welding; and home repair and maintenance.
There are commercially available hand-held lighted inspection mirrors with the lighted mirror positioned at the end of a rigid or flexible shaft which may extend for up to 40 or more inches. The shaft portion of such devices extends from a handle portion thereof which includes a battery power source for the mirror light and some type of control mechanism for adjusting the angulation of the mirror with respect to the handle and shaft so that distant items illuminated by the mirror light may be viewed by reflection from the mirror. These devices are adequate for many equipment repair and maintenance situation which require distant out of line-of-sight viewing but are cumbersome and unwieldy with respect to many closer situations requiring the viewing of hidden apparatus parts.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a unique and improved lighted inspection tool for use by mechanics, electricians, plumbers, welders, home owners, hobbyists and the like which is compact and can be held in the users hand and manipulated at arms-length to provide hidden part viewing by illumination and mirrored reflection of the part.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a unique and improved lighted, mirror-type inspection tool for use by mechanics, electricians, plumbers, welders, home owners and other craftsmen which includes a compact housing for one or more batteries with the mirror and mirror light mounted directly to one face of the housing and with the entire unit of a size and shape so that it may be easily held in the hand of the user.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following summary and detailed description of the invention taken together with the accompanying drawing figures.